Chapter 28: Driving the Wolf to Swallow the Tiger

Lin Hai was extremely angry. He had intended to act swiftly and secretly eliminate Shen Chen, the thorn in his side, but he never expected that things would go so badly from the start.

To let those two boys escape right under his nose was truly infuriating!

"Kill! Get rid of this beast first!"

However, Lin Hai was not indecisive. He made a quick decision, shouted coldly, and led the charge with his sword towards the mad iron-armored rhinoceros.

This beast was relentlessly纠缠不休, and if not dealt with first, the inner disciples would not be able to follow him with peace of mind to surround and eliminate Shen Chen and the others.

The valley was vast, and Lin Hai knew very well that he alone could not completely block Shen Chen and Wang Yue's escape route. He needed these followers to work together...

"Whoosh, whoosh..."

While Lin Hai and his group were engaged in battle with the iron-armored rhinoceros, Shen Chen and Wang Yue were rapidly fleeing several miles away.

This time, the opponents were numerous, all inner disciples of the Flowing Cloud Sect, and there was even a sixth-rank Blood Fusion expert like Lin Hai. They were truly not to be underestimated!

However, gradually, Shen Chen also began to sense something was amiss. The surroundings became increasingly unfamiliar, and he realized he had never been here before...

Oh no! It seems we are getting further and further away from Cloudy Peak.

This realization made Shen Chen's heart tighten, and cold sweat trickled down his back.

"Stop! Don't run anymore!" Shen Chen made a quick decision and stopped, shouting.

"What's wrong, Big Brother?"

Although Wang Yue was puzzled, he also stopped, scratching his head and looking around.

"Look where we are," Shen Chen pointed to the towering ancient trees around them.

"Blackstone Ridge and Eagle Sorrow Gorge, where else could it be... Hiss!"

At first, Wang Yue was indifferent, but soon, he also noticed the anomaly and drew a sharp breath, stopping mid-sentence.

Then, Wang Yue's face turned green, and he trembled, "Big Brother, we... we won't..."

"As you guessed, we have already entered the depths of Eagle Sorrow Gorge," Shen Chen's face was grim, "The elder mentioned before that Eagle Sorrow Gorge connects to the vast and boundless Cloudy Mist Mountains to the south!"

"This, this..." Wang Yue was so shocked that his jaw almost dropped, and he was speechless.

He might be slow, but he wasn't stupid. The depths of the Cloudy Mist Mountains meant something very serious. As disciples of the Flowing Cloud Sect, he and Shen Chen knew very well that the elders had repeatedly warned them not to wander into the deep mountains. While the outer regions of the Cloudy Mist Mountains mostly contained first and second-rank spirit beasts, the inner regions were home to various extremely terrifying creatures!

Such warnings were always on their minds, and they would never forget them.

"It seems we can only grit our teeth and head back. Forget it, don't think too much, let's go!" Shen Chen was frightened and didn't want to stay here for a moment longer. He turned and started to retrace his steps.

If Lin Hai and the inner disciples were hungry tigers, then the vast Cloudy Mist Mountains behind them were a bottomless abyss.

Shen Chen was not foolish. He would rather return and fight Lin Hai to the death than continue deeper into the Cloudy Mist Mountains.

Although they were temporarily safe, this luck would not last. Even if the terrifying creatures mentioned by the elders didn't appear, a single fourth or fifth-rank spirit beast from the depths of the mountains would be enough to leave them with no place to bury their bodies, without any doubt!

Such beasts were far beyond their current capabilities. Even if the Flowing Cloud Sect's patriarch came, he would have to retreat in disgrace...

"Big Brother, are we just going to go back like this?"

On the way, Wang Yue followed behind Shen Chen, whispering.

"Of course not. We can't just go back openly," Shen Chen shook his head, his expression serious.

Calmly, Shen Chen realized that Lin Hai had planned this trap meticulously. He believed that from the moment he and Wang Yue left the Flowing Cloud Sect, they had already been under Lin Hai's surveillance. Naturally, their destination for this mission was also known to Lin Hai.

In other words, Lin Hai had known from the beginning that Eagle Sorrow Gorge had only one way out and one dead end!

Would Lin Hai give up this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to catch them like fish in a barrel?

The answer was clear: he wouldn't! Not only that, Shen Chen deduced that Lin Hai had not rushed to chase them because he was confident they could not escape, even if they tried.

"Big Brother, did we mess up this time? Is there no second way out of Eagle Sorrow Gorge?"

Seeing Shen Chen walk ahead without speaking for a long time, Wang Yue felt uneasy and asked cautiously.

"Yes, we were unlucky. The only way out is towards Blackstone Ridge, but the place where we fought the iron-armored rhinoceros is the only way out of the valley!" Shen Chen nodded lightly, his face expressionless.

He was thinking. At this moment, Lin Hai's group must have already set up guards on the only way out, and it would be almost impossible to leave the valley quietly.

"Damn! Lin Hai is too much. Big Brother, forget it, let's go out and fight them to the death!" Seeing even his experienced and intelligent Big Brother at a loss, Wang Yue could no longer hold back.

"Even if we die, we'll take them with us. I'll split Lin Hai's head with my axe!"

Wang Yue roared, swinging his axes, splitting a green stone into two, with debris flying everywhere.

However, after his angry roar, Shen Chen remained silent for a long time.

At this moment, Shen Chen had also stopped, standing silently.

Wang Yue thought his Big Brother was still thinking of a plan and rushed over to persuade him, but before he could speak, Shen Chen suddenly turned around, and a face with a cold smile appeared before Wang Yue.

The words on the tip of his tongue were abruptly swallowed.

"Gulp! Big Brother, what's wrong..."

Wang Yue was startled, swallowing hard. For some reason, the cold smile on Shen Chen's face made him feel a sudden sense of fear.

Yes, fear!

Wang Yue found it hard to imagine that such a cold, murderous smile could appear on the face of a boy not yet sixteen, and it even frightened his own brother.

"Hehe, nothing. I just think what you said is right. Lin Hai... indeed deserves to die!" Shen Chen shook his head slightly, his actions light, but it made Wang Yue's scalp tingle, as if he were talking to Death itself.

At this moment, the murderous intent in Shen Chen's heart was unprecedentedly terrifying. In his past and present life, Shen Chen had never felt such a deep, bone-chilling desire to kill someone, including the elder who had made him afraid to return home.

And all of this was because of Lin Hai. Lin Hai had driven Shen Chen to a dead end, and such an opponent who wanted to destroy him completely, Shen Chen would not let go!

"Big Brother, what should we do?" Seeing Shen Chen determined to eliminate Lin Hai, Wang Yue nodded heavily, a fierce look on his face.

"Simple, Wang Yue, do you remember the cave we passed earlier..." Shen Chen said meaningfully, clearly having a plan.

"Um... I remember there was a cave about ten miles away. What about that cave?" Wang Yue scratched his head, puzzled.

"I noticed it earlier. The cave is deep and suitable for temporary hiding. Wang Yue, I want you to go to that cave immediately and carefully explore the terrain inside, and mark it if possible!" Shen Chen pondered.

"What about you, Big Brother?"

Wang Yue noticed that Shen Chen had not mentioned himself, which made him nervous. Was his Big Brother planning to face the strong enemies alone to draw Lin Hai away?

If that was the case, Wang Yue would never agree!

However, Wang Yue was overthinking. Although Shen Chen was not afraid of death, he was not stupid enough to die in vain. He explained with a smile, "I have my own plan. Lin Hai's group is numerous, right? Fine, I'll find some help. Do you remember the twelve iron-armored rhinoceroses we saw when we entered Eagle Sorrow Gorge? In my view, those spirit beasts are excellent allies, hahaha..."

Hearing Shen Chen's mad laughter, Wang Yue was initially puzzled but soon understood and laughed along.

"Hahaha, Big Brother, you really have a good plan. One iron-armored rhinoceros is enough to give Lin Hai and his group a hard time, let alone twelve of them, hehehe..." Wang Yue laughed slyly.

"Alright, no more delay. Let's get moving. The twelve iron-armored rhinoceroses are fierce, but not enough to kill Lin Hai. I just want to scatter their forces. You go and prepare in the cave. The real show will take place in that dark cave..."

After making up his mind, Shen Chen wasted no time. After parting ways with Wang Yue, he quickly headed towards the exit of Eagle Sorrow Gorge.

...

"Haha, Shen Chen, why aren't you running anymore? Do you really think a beast can help you escape?"

On a hill near the valley's exit, Shen Chen and Lin Hai's group encountered each other again. Seeing Shen Chen rush over, Lin Hai was not surprised but laughed mockingly.

"Haha, Senior Brother Lin Hai, you are truly a master of strategy. As you predicted, this boy, after fleeing for a while, realized something was wrong and will eventually come to you willingly!"

"You're right. In the Flowing Cloud Sect, few can match Senior Brother Lin Hai in strategy!"

"By the way, where is his little follower? Could he have been swallowed by a powerful spirit beast in the depths of the Cloudy Mist Mountains? Haha, that would save us a lot of trouble!"

The inner disciples followed behind Lin Hai, mocking Shen Chen.

Previously, with Lin Hai's leadership, they had not wasted much effort in killing the old iron-armored rhinoceros. This time, encountering Shen Chen again, they were even more confident.

"Hmph! Less talk, catch me first if you can!"

Facing Lin Hai's group's ridicule, Shen Chen knew the situation and was not bothered to argue with them.

However, to lure them into the trap, he had to act convincingly. Shen Chen pretended to be enraged and fearful, and before engaging Lin Hai's group, he used the Shadow Fox Step to move horizontally into the valley on the right side.

This action made Lin Hai's group believe he was fleeing in fear.

"Chase! Don't let this boy escape!"

Lin Hai's arrogance grew, and he coldly ordered the inner disciples to chase after Shen Chen's "fleeing" direction.

"Hmph! Let you have your moment of glory. You'll soon regret it..." Several hundred meters ahead, Shen Chen appeared to be fleeing in a panic, but his heart was calm.

His destination was the place where the twelve iron-armored rhinoceroses had been resting. If Lin Hai's group knew what was there, they would be furious...

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